Bringing Bacon Back

I've gotten to dig my fork into a fair number of mac n' cheese meals these last 10 months.  The one thing that at first thought didn't scare me a bit, but now scares me quite a lot is the addition of meat to a meal (that isn't a frozen meal).  My Archer Farms real bacon experience taught me that it's potentially a very dangerous thing. So much so that I think even Target/Archer Farms is having a difficult time with them because I've not seen those bacon carbonara bowls on shelves but for one or two days every few months at any local Target since I did my review.

Finding that another brand was giving bacon the ol' college try had me very cautious about the potential outcome.  Armed with a camera phone and their customer support 800 number I was ready to give Kraft's bacon bowl a shot.

The Review

Brand:
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Homestyle Sharp Cheddar Cheese Sauce And Oscar Mayer Bacon

Big money, no moldy.... STOP!

Homestyle To Go

Kraft is THE predominant mac n' cheese maker in the country.  They've got a massive line of macaroni and cheese products that just eats up the shelf space in your local grocer.  They've added a Homestyle line that gets cooked in the oven and I've been meaning to try since it debuted a few years back.  In the last few months Kraft has introduced a just add water version of their Homestyle line.  I know these won't be the same, but having heard good things about the standard line I was very excited to see these hit the shelves. 

The Review

Brand:
Kraft Homestyle Hearty Four Cheese

Noodles With A Tan

I started this blog off with some simple just add water cup o' macs.  I've had 5 varieties sitting in my desk for almost two months just waiting for a chance to shine.  Running low on available frozen options at work (I've got 8 more sitting in the home freezer plus who knows how many more just waiting for me) I dug into my desk and pulled up one at random.  How did lunch go today?  Read on!


The Review

Brand:
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Whole Grain Original Flavor

Silly Kraft cup!  You're not Annie's Homegrown mac n' cheese.  There are no bunnies here!

Let's Raise A Cup... Part 2

I sure was surprised to see how many different kinds of these microwaveable cup mac n' cheese options there are.  At my local Safeway I had 5 Kraft/Velveeta meal varieties before I got into special noodle shapes like Sponge Bob, which added another two or three options (I thankfully passed on)!  I guess that shows how quick & easy meals like these are seen by parents as acceptable meal/snack options for the kids in the house.  As I said in a reply to a comment about yesterdays blog, these cups really don't serve as anything but a good emergency meal/snack for someone over the age of 12.  These should never be a primary mac n' cheese meal if you've got the means to cook something on a stove or some form of heating element.  Get that pot dirty, and just make one of the many kinds out there.  These cups just aren't meant to be a dinner.


The Review

Brand:
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese 'Triple Cheese'

Let's Raise A Cup... Part 1

Welcome to the first review of an actual mac n' cheese dish.  I'm sure that these will evolve over time as I realize that I wasn't thinking to include something as I complete these first reviews but I will try to make sure that the overall format stays the same.  Brand, Cost, Prep, Taste, Final Score.  For self prepared meals (stove top or microwave) I'll be sure to include the packaging preparation directions as well as any tips I discover that should be done to make it turn out better.  Unless something is just out and out wrong I will follow the directions on package to a T as to give all our subjects equal shakes based on what the brand says it should taste like.


Our mac n' cheese reviewed today is a daily meal snack of school and college kids across the country.  Almost instant mac n' cheese in a cup!  Kraft has their 'Easy Mac' line, and though this isn't quite that as today's meal is a Velveeta one (so it's cheese sauce and not a powder) it's in the same family as Kraft owns Velveeta.  If you've eaten the Easy Mac of years past, the stuff was just horrible.  I don't know what deal with the devil Kraft made, but this newer stuff is MILES better than Easy Mac of 6-8 years ago.  It's actually edible. 


The Review

Brand: 
Velveeta Shells & Cheese 'Original' flavor